Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Tu achas o filme bom?
What does tu mean in this sentence?
Tu is the informal second-person singular pronoun in Portuguese, equivalent to you in English when addressing someone informally.
What does achas mean, and why is it conjugated that way?
Achas is the second-person singular form of the verb achar, which means to think or to consider. The ending -as agrees with the subject tu.
How is the sentence structure in Tu achas o filme bom? similar to or different from English questions?
Portuguese yes/no questions like this one often keep the same word order as declarative sentences—Subject (tu), Verb (achas), Object (o filme), Complement (bom). In English, you might expect an added linking verb (as in Do you think the movie is good?), but in Portuguese, intonation and punctuation signal that it’s a question.
Why is there no linking verb such as is between o filme and bom?
In Portuguese, verbs like achar are used to express an opinion or judgment directly. The construction achar algo bom translates to to consider something good without needing a linking verb like is.
What does o filme mean, and why is the article o used?
O filme means the movie, where o is the masculine singular definite article used to specify a particular film.
Is using tu typical in Portuguese, and how does it compare to other forms?
Yes, using tu is common in European Portuguese for informal singular address. In Brazilian Portuguese, however, the pronoun você is more frequently used, and the verb would be conjugated accordingly (e.g., você acha).
How do I recognize that this is a yes/no question if it doesn’t follow a different word order from statements?
In Portuguese, the question is indicated by a rising intonation when spoken and by the question mark at the end in writing. The structure remains similar to a statement, so context and punctuation help signal that it’s a yes/no question.